one of my new year’s resolutions was to make better use of my cookery books. over the holidays i spent an afternoon going through a few books and magazines making a list of things i want to try and cook this month.
one of the books i picked up was diana henry’s crazy water, pickled lemons. i have used this book quite a lot as she creates dishes with strong and vibrant flavours, using lots of fresh herbs and spices. each time the recipe has turned out well. today’s chermoula-marinated tuna was no exception with a strong spicy flavour that contrasted well with the herby, pomegranate-tangy jewelled couscous which we ate it with.
chermoula-marinated tuna* (serves 2)
2 thick tuna steaks
marinade:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 medium red chilli, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
zest and juice of a lime
1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley leaves, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
mix the marinade ingredients together in a large shallow bowl. add the tuna and coat the fish with the marinade mix and leave for 30 minutes.
heat a griddle pan until it is smoking then quickly cook the tuna steaks – about 1 ½ minutes on each side will ensure they remain pink inside. serve with jewelled couscous.
* adapted from a recipe by diana henry
other recipes from crazy water, pickled lemons:
crazy water (december 2007)
bulgar and spinach pilaf with labneh and chilli roast tomatoes (july 2007)
lamb shank tagine with quince (november 2006)